Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Survey of Denominations ~ Service Overview & Evaluation

Again, for those who have asked:

Here's the second questionnaire for our 'Survey of Denominations' course. The first questionnaire can be found HERE.

Survey of Denominations ~ Service Overview & Evaluation

Church: ____________________ Denomination: _________________
Date/day visited: _______________ Time of service: _______________

If possible, obtain and keep a bulletin/program of the service

Style of service (circle all that apply): formal informal casual traditional contemporary organized disorganized reverent irreverent “high” church

Note the time devoted to various aspects of the service (prayer, corporate singing, preaching, special music, drama/skits, announcements, presentations, testimonies, altar call, etc.)



What was the text of the message/sermon (if any)?

Was the teaching topical or expository?

Was the teaching clear and understandable? ____ If not, was it due to the style of teaching/delivery, or due to the content?


Was the teaching theologically/biblically sound? ____ Explain:

Did you learn/gain anything from the teaching (positive or negative)? ____ Explain:


What questionable teaching or practice did you see or hear? Describe and briefly respond to/address this with Scripture:


Was the gospel clearly communicated/presented? ____ If yes, in what manner (sermon, altar call, testimony):

Describe the psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (God-centered, man-centered, theologically sound, theologically weak, devoid of any theology, reverent, irreverent, traditional, contemporary, etc.):


In what ways did the congregation participate during this service (listening, speaking, singing, shouting, praying, bowing, jumping/swaying, quiet, loud, etc.)?


What did you like or enjoy most about this service (Explain by way of Biblical support or personal preference)?


What did you dislike most (Explain by way of Biblical support or personal preference)?


Would you consider becoming a part of this church/denomination? ____ Why or why not?


Based on this service what, if anything, might you conclude (focus, emphasis, lack of emphasis, understanding, application, practice, etc.) about this denomination’s:


Christology: (doctrine of Christ):


Pneumatology (doctrine of the Holy Spirit):


Anthropology (doctrine of man):


Hamartiology (doctrine of sin):


Soteriology (doctrine of salvation):


Ecclesiology (doctrine of the church/church government):


Eschatology (doctrine of end times):



Overall, would you consider this service more God-centered or more man-centered?


Explain:

4 comments:

Dana said...

Very interesting idea. I will have to keep an eye on your blog to see how it goes. I have been thinking lately about visiting some different churches myself because I am living in a foreign country presently and I think it would be a good way to challenge my thinking and see what Christianity looks like around the world.

The Open Range Camping Family said...

Hi Connie, These are excellent. I would be interested in doing this with mine when they get a bit older. Actually, they would be a great way to evaluate my own church.

Shawn Abigail said...

You might want to add "Liturgical?" to the list of questions. A church can be "liturgical and low" or "liturgical and high".

Connie said...

dana in dublin: Oh yes! I would if I had that opportunity!

dana: As I was thinking through doing this course I was reminded of the various churches I visited with friends--sparked lots of questions and very few answers. Hope this does end up being of value to you and your kids!

shawn: Believe it or not, I actually had "high church" on my list but when I tried to describe the differences between high and low I was not confident that I was being fair and accurate so I dropped that and simply offered 'formal'. We plan to attend a Reformed Episcopal church tomorrow. I had been thinking that we would attend an Anglican church this weekend but decided to hold off on that a week or two cause I'm just not ready for all female leadership/preaching/teaching. :-)